Duterte suspends anti-graft officer looking into his bank records

This article is more than 12 months old

Jan 30, 2018 06:00 am

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday punished an anti-graft prosecutor suspected of leaking his bank records, after an opposition politician had accused him of corruption.

When he was still a presidential candidate, Mr Duterte was accused of unlawfully failing to disclose 211 million pesos (S$5.4 million) in secret bank accounts.

The 2016 complaint was lodged with the Office of the Ombudsman. Mr Duterte has denied the allegation.

Yesterday, the president's chief aide suspended the Deputy Ombudsman, Mr Melchor Arthur Carandang, for three months. Mr Carandang last year said that the Ombudsman had since 2016 been quietly investigating Mr Duterte and his family's bank transactions.

The probe followed a complaint filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes that alleged Mr Duterte had embezzled government funds and engaged in other illegal activities while he was mayor of Davao. - AFP